I Couldn't Do The Same
by FreedomRiders
Summary: I couldn't do the same for him. Because all I could do was watch. (Spoiler for Hill 493 on COD WWII) Rated T for brief language.


It was on Hill 493. We were gonna win. If only that goddamn Tiger never showed up. We wouldn't have had to retreat.

We wouldn't have lost Turner.

Turner kept us all in line. We were some of the only guys on the front lines. We took those Krauts head on.

He was nice. Some called him soft, but I admired him. He helped me on D'Day. We fought together for a long time, supplying ammo, even going out of his way to get Kraut bullets when we picked up German weapons.

And we were all drowning in fear when the time came for us to do so. But Turner comforted us, putting his men before himself.

I remembered when that church tower fell, we went to support a foothold for Zussman and the others to fall back to. Turner and his men came with backup, Zussman in tow.

He complimented us and the other men on a job well done. I smiled as Turner walked ahead to secure the area.

Later, when we took out those 150s, the Tiger II came at us with a shitload of Kraut infantry.

I had that Tiger destroyer, and Turned helped us to mop up the rest.

"Don't worry. I got you, son."

That was all I heard before watching him get shot.

He came to save us after that Tiger was knocked out. That 88 managed to take out Perez though.

I watched that tank commander shoot our lieutenant with that ugly pistol of his, his bald mug smirking. I'd aimed, and the trigger was pulled.

That Tiger commander fell, before he was shot again.

I remember that ambush as more enemies came in. I fired, falling back while doing so.

Turner was dragged back, screaming, all the while as we covered his ass. Every scream of pain that I heard from him, my hopes of getting Turner back alive shrank.

I ducked behind the sandbags with Turner. I saw Zussman come over. "Lieutenant!"

"You gotta get our boys outta here!"

"No, we can still make it!"

He muttered something about retreating, as the Thompson was wrenched from his hands.

"We're not leaving you!"

I couldn't tell what was going on. Whether I was wanting to force Turner back with us or wanting to take his place and get everyone else back out alive, I knew what would happen.

I watched as he yelled at us to fall back, as he grabbed his Thompson back with his bloodied hands.

"You have to go! GO!"

I looked back and forth, before a response came.

"It was an honor, sir!" A waver of reluctance in that voice.

"No sacrifice too great. Go!"

I felt myself being dragged back by those orders, his final orders. He got up, stumbling all the while, and firing his Thompson. A few dozen meters away, some Germans fell. Then another shot rang out.

I watched as he fell to his knees. I wanted to scream.

"No!"

Turner looked at us, as we fell back down the large hill. He looked up, and saw the soldier on the sandbags.

He fired a shot with his submachine gun, as Turner fell, dead. He was gone.

The man who saved my life more times than I can count, died saving us for the last time.

And I couldn't do the same for him.

Because all I could do was watch.

That was what all of us could only do.

I thought about that last look on his face. It was a look that would haunt me forever.

There was no smile. It was a look of regret. Not regret for having to stay behind.

Regret because he wouldn't be able to help us survive again.

I can't live with that. He didn't die in vain. He saved us, the convoy, and we cut down a chunk of those damn Nazis.

That's what I keep telling myself. But in truth, the outcome wouldn't have changed. Someone still would've died to save our ass. And it didn't matter who.

Because everything would've been the same.

I stared down at my weapon in the tent, just wallowing in my regret. I couldn't save him. I couldn't do the same like he did for me.

It made me sick.

I wanted to drink. I wanted to go back home be forget all this. Nothing felt worth it anymore.

"Sir?"

Daniels stood in front of me. He held up Turner's revolver. "I thought you might like this."

I took the sidearm and remembered. I had something worth living for. These mens' lives.

Turner would've wanted me to keep them alive. And as their sergeant, as his sergeant, that was my job.

I wasn't about to let my lieutenant down after what he did for me. What he did for us.

I looked up at Daniels. "You thought wrong.", I said.


End file.
